[Environmental risks and health literacy: a systematic review]
Elisabeth Pfleger1, Regina Lutz2, Hans Drexler3
1Institut und Poliklinik für Arbeits‑, Sozial- und Umweltmedizin, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Henkestraße 9-11, 91054, Erlangen, Deutschland. elisabeth.pfleger@fau.de.
Bundesgesundheitsblatt, Gesundheitsforschung, Gesundheitsschutz
|October 12, 2023
Summary
Understanding of environmental risks and health is poor. Improving health literacy (HL) and environmental health literacy (EHL) through interventions is crucial for public health, though measurement methods need standardization.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Public Health
- Health Literacy Studies
Background:
- Environmental factors significantly influence disease development.
- Public understanding of environmental risks and their health impacts is limited.
- Health literacy (HL) and environmental health literacy (EHL) are key to navigating environmental health information.
Conclusions:
- Heterogeneous operationalization hinders study comparability, necessitating methodological standardization.
- Interventions like training effectively improve HL/EHL.
- Increased focus on practical interventions is recommended to enhance public HL/EHL.
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